JPH03273580A - Disk cartridge - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce frictional resistance force from a pulling-in means in the action of inserting and ejecting a disk and to decrease acting force exerted on a disk for performing the action by generating angular moment by the action of inserting and ejecting the disk in/from a disk cartridge and moving the disk in a case while rotating the disk. CONSTITUTION:This cartridge is provided with the box-like case 2 in which one disk can be housed, the pulling-in means 9 and 10 for pulling the disk in the case 2, a holding means 10 for holding the disk at a specified position in the case, and a disk ejecting means 8. Then, plural pulling-in means 9 and 10 are arranged so that maximum pulling-in force respectively generated by the means 9 and 10 may act to the disk at positions different from each other in a disk pulling-in direction. Thus, at the time of inserting and ejecting the disk, the angular moment is generated for the disk and the disk is pulled in a magazine while it is rotated, so that the frictional resistance force from the pulling-in means in the action force exerted to the disk for performing the action is decreased.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a disk cartridge containing a disk-shaped information recording medium (hereinafter referred to as a disk).

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as methods for storing disks, there are a disk magazine type in which a plurality of disks are stored in a removable manner, and a disk cartridge type in which a single disk is rotatably stored and enclosed within a housing. These are mainly implemented in compact disc (hereinafter referred to as CD) disc players and auto change machines.
Conventional examples of disk magazine type include Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-254450, and conventional examples of disk cartridge type include Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-1850.
There is a disk storage method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 82.

Here, as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-254450, the open disks D are supported in parallel to each other by partition plates 5, and are stored in the storage section 4 in a stacked state. disc back 1
A slider 22 is disposed on one side of the disk D so as to be movable along the surface of the disk D. One end of the slider 22 is in contact with the outer periphery of the disk D, and the other end of the slider 22 has a driven piece 26 protruding from a slit 23 provided on one side of the disk back 1. .

In the disc ejection operation, when the operator performs a specific operation, the slide lever 67 of the disc changer mechanism moves in a direction perpendicular to the disc surface, and when it reaches the position corresponding to the specific disc, the slide lever 67 moves in the f direction. The protruding piece 68 formed at one end of the slide lever 67 and the driven piece 26 of the slider 22 engage with each other to eject the disk D.

Next, in the disk insertion operation, when the operator performs a specific operation, the disk D is conveyed between the adjacent partition plates 5 while being held between the rotating drive roller 91 and driven roller 92. When the disc D is transported to a predetermined position, the drive lever 43 of the disc changer mechanism rotates the setting lever 7, and the drive bin installed in the setting lever 7 stores the disc D inside the disc back l. do. Thereafter, the leaf spring 16 generates an elastic biasing force against the disk D, and the disk D is held in the storage section 4 of the disk back 1.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in the case of the above-mentioned disk magazine type, since the disk is pulled into the magazine by rotating the setting lever, a drive mechanism is required to move the setting lever, which makes the disk drive device difficult to operate. It became complicated, and furthermore, it was not possible to automatically draw a disk into the magazine as a single magazine. In addition, since the outer circumference of the disk and the storage section come into sliding contact during the insertion operation, unnecessary frictional force is generated between the outer circumference of the disk and the storage section, and a large force is inevitably required for insertion. , it was difficult to obtain a smooth disk insertion operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a disk cartridge that is automatically drawn into a magazine when the disk is inserted to a predetermined position, thereby allowing a smooth insertion operation.

Means for solving the problem In view of the drawbacks of the conventional disk storage method described above,
The disc cartridge of the present invention includes a box-shaped case that has an opening on one side for inserting and ejecting a disc, can accommodate one disc, and a plurality of retracting means for pulling the disc into the case. , a holding means for holding the disc at a predetermined position within the case, and a disc ejection means for moving the disc to eject it out of the case, and each of the plurality of retraction means has a maximum retraction force generated by each of the retraction means. are arranged so as to act on the disk at different positions in the disk retraction direction.

Operation With the above-described structure, the disk cartridge of the present invention generates a rotational moment on the disk and draws the disk into the magazine while rolling when inserting and ejecting the disk. Frictional resistance is reduced and the operating force applied to the disk for the above operation is reduced.

Embodiment Hereinafter, one embodiment of the disk cartridge of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a disk cartridge of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the external appearance of the disk cartridge, and FIG. 3 is a percentage plan view showing the insertion start state of the disk insertion operation. In FIGS. 1 to 3, a cartridge 1 has a box-shaped case 2 in which an upper case 2a and a lower case 2b are combined to form an integral body, into which one disk 21 can be freely inserted and removed. I can do it. One side of the case 2 has an opening 15 for inserting and removing the disk 21, and a groove 5 that is long in the longitudinal direction is formed in the side adjacent to the opening 15.

In the groove portion 5, a substantially U-shaped notch 4 is formed at an end opposite to the opening portion 15 with respect to the disk cartridge 1, and at a position penetrating the upper case 2a and the lower case 2b and facing each other. There is. This notch 4 is formed at a position closer to the opening 15 than the center of the side surface where the groove 5 is formed. Furthermore, by providing an orientation detection means (not shown) near the notch 4 in a disk drive device (not shown) in which the cartridge 1 is properly loaded, when the cartridge 1 is inserted in a different orientation, Since the attitude detection means does not detect the notch 4, it is determined that the cartridge 1 has been inserted incorrectly, and the cartridge 1 is ejected from the disk drive device.

In addition, in order to prevent damage to the recording surface of the disk 21 inside the disk cartridge 1, the surface 2C of the case 2b is made to maintain a predetermined gap between the recording surface of the disk 21 and the upper surface 2c of the lower case 2b. forms a U-shaped smooth stepped portion 3 having a portion approximately the same shape as the disk shape. Furthermore, smooth tapered portions 3a and 3b are formed near the opening 15 of the stepped portion 3 in order to smoothly guide the disk 21 into the case 2.

Inside the case 2, there is an arc-shaped slide arm 8 (disk ejection means) made of a sheet metal member for ejecting the disk 21.
The slide arm 8 is guided so as to be able to reciprocate in the longitudinal direction of the groove 5. A claw 8a (retaining part) is formed at one end of the slide arm 8.
a is located within the groove portion 5. Also, slide arm 8
The other end 8b faces the outer periphery of the disc 21 at a position opposite to the opening 15 when the disc 21 is inserted into the case 2. Further, the spring catch at the side end of the slide arm 8 has one hook part of the spring 11 engaged with the part 8c, and the other hook part of the spring 11 is engaged with the pin 7 planted in the lower case 2b. has been done. In the normal state, the slide arm 8 is urged toward the inside of the case 2 by the tensile elastic urging force of the spring 11.

Further, a recess 6a is formed in one straight part of the U-shaped step 3 of the case 2, and a suction spring 9 made of a flexible sheet metal member with a smooth surface is formed with a dogleg-shaped bent part 9a. (first retracting means) is built-in. An L-shaped portion 9b at one end of the suction spring 9 is engaged with an L-shaped groove 6a formed in the lower case 2b, and a sliding portion 9c at the other end is engaged with the L-shaped groove 6a formed in the lower case 2b.
It is slidably guided and held in a regulating groove 6b formed in b. Further, in the other straight part of the U-shaped step 3 of the case 2, a lock spring 10 (a second retracting means and a holding means) is provided in the recess 6d, which is a flexible sheet metal member with a smooth surface and a bent part 10a. ) is built-in. lock spring 10
A 5-shaped portion 10b formed at one end of the lower case 2b is engaged with an L-shaped groove 6e formed in the lower case 2b. Here, in FIG. 3, the positional relationship between the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10 is such that the distance from the end of the opening 15 to the bending part 9a (point of action) of the suction spring 9 is Y9, and the bending part 10a of the lock spring 1o is If the distance to (point of action) is YIO, then Y
There is a relationship of IO>Y9, and the point of action of the suction spring 9 is located closer to the opening 15 than the point of action of the lock spring 10.

Concave label areas 12 a and 12 b are formed in the case 2 from the front surface to the back surface, and a label 13 for indicating the contents of the disc 21 inserted into the case 2 is pasted thereon.

Next, the disk insertion operation will be explained using FIGS. 3 to 6.

FIG. 4 is an ffi plan view showing an intermediate state of the disc insertion operation in the disc cartridge of the present invention, FIG. 5 is an m plan view showing the automatic suction state of the disc insertion action, and FIG. This is a plan view of Reimei.

In FIG. 3, when the disk 21 is inserted through the opening 15, the outer circumference of the disk 21 comes into contact with the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10. At this time, the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 1o generate elastic biasing forces as indicated by arrows P and Q, respectively, against the disk 21, and the disk 21 (P1+Q1
) is in a state where it is urged toward the outside of the case 2 by the ejection blade.

In FIG. 4, when the disk 21 is subsequently inserted while resisting the ejection force (P1+Q1), the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10 generate elastic biasing forces indicated by arrows R and S, respectively, against the disk 21. The disk 21 is (R
The case 2 is urged toward the outside with a maximum ejection force of 1+81).

In FIG. 5, when the disk 21 is subsequently inserted,
Due to the suction force generated by the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10, the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10 generate elastic urging forces shown by arrows T and U, respectively, on the disk 21.

At this time, the suction spring 9 generates an elastic biasing force T with an operating angle αt, thereby generating a retraction force T1 in the direction of the arrow M. As a result, when the disk 21 attempts to move in the direction of the arrow M, Frictional resistance force T2 in the opposite direction
occurs. Similarly, when the lock spring 10 generates an elastic biasing force U with an operating angle αU, a retraction force U1 is generated in the direction of the arrow M, and a frictional resistance force U2 is similarly generated in the opposite direction to the arrow M. As a result, the disk 21 (
It is automatically retracted with a retraction force of (T1+U1) - (T2+U2)). At this time, the relationship between both frictional resistance forces is U
2>T2, and the disk 21 is in a slippery state with the suction spring 9. Furthermore, when the disk 21 is pulled in by a minute length from the state shown in FIG. ), the amount of slight decrease △T in the frictional resistance force T2 due to the suction spring 9
2 (not shown) is larger, the suction spring 9 and the disk 21 become more slippery.

As a result of the above, a rotational moment is generated in the disk 21 in the direction of the arrow, and the outer circumference of the disk 21 and the lock spring 1
The retracting operation is performed while rolling around the contact position while making contact with the bent portion 10a of the disk 10, and is pulled in until it comes into contact with the disk regulating portion 3c, as shown in FIG. At this time, the lock spring 10 generates an elastic urging force as indicated by the arrow V against the disk 21, and the disk 21 is held inside the case 2 with a pulling force of vl.

As described above, the disk insertion operation is completed.

Next, the disk ejecting operation will be explained using FIG. 2 and FIGS. 6 to 8.

Figure 8 shows the completion state of the disk ejection operation. This is a new view.

In FIG. 2, an arm drive means 31 for pulling the claw 8a of the slide arm 8 with the disk cartridge 1 loaded in a disk drive device (not shown).
moves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the front and back surfaces of the case 2, and the notch 4
pass through the interior of.

When the arm driving means 31 reaches the notch 4 of the cartridge 1, the arm driving means 31 starts to move in the longitudinal direction inside the groove 5, engages with the claw 8a, and moves it, thereby moving the disk 21. discharge.

In FIG. 7, when the operator performs a predetermined operation, the arm driving means 31 of the disk drive device pulls the claw 8a of the slide arm 8 in the direction of the arrow W inside the groove 5.
The disk 21 is pushed out with the end 8b of the slide arm 8 and the outer periphery of the disk 21 in contact with each other. When the arm driving means 31 pulls the claw 8a to the end of the groove 5 of the case 2, the sliding movement of the slide arm 8 ends.

Thereafter, the disk 21 is ejected to the outside of the case 2 by a disk transport mechanism (not shown) of the disk drive device. At this time, the disk 21 receives a discharging force from the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10 from the time when it passes a predetermined position with respect to the case 2 . Since the positional relationship between the suction spring 9 and the lock spring 10 is deviated as shown in FIG. 3, a rotational moment in the direction of the arrow X is generated in the disk 21. The explanation of the generation of the rotational moment is the same as the explanation when inserting the disk 2, and is thought to be easily understood, so the explanation will be omitted here. As a result, the disk 21 is rotated and ejected from the case 2, resulting in the state shown in FIG. 8.

As explained above, in the disk cartridge of this embodiment, the disk 21 is inserted while rotating.

It is discharged. Therefore, the operating force is reduced compared to the case where the disc is inserted and ejected while sliding with respect to the disc regulating part.

In this embodiment, the disk ejecting means is one that slides inside the case, but any device may be used as long as it ejects the disk.

Further, in this embodiment, the retracting means and the holding means are plate springs, but any means may be used as long as the same effect can be obtained. Furthermore, although one of the drawing means and the holding means are made of a common member, they may be made of separate members.

As described in detail of the invention, in the disk cartridge of the present invention, during the disk insertion and ejection operations into the disk cartridge, the maximum force generated by each of the retracting means is applied to the disk at different positions in the disk retraction direction. It was arranged so that it would work. This creates a rotational moment on the disc, causing it to roll and move inside the case.

The frictional resistance from the retraction means during the ejecting operation is reduced, and the operating force applied to the disk for said operation is reduced. Therefore, a smooth disk insertion operation can be obtained.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the disk cartridge of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the disk cartridge of the present invention showing the insertion start state of the disk insertion operation. FIG. 4 is a top plan view showing an intermediate state of the disk insertion operation in the disk cartridge of the present invention; FIG.
Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the automatic suction state of the disc insertion operation in the disc cartridge of the present invention, Fig. 6 is a plan view of the disc holding state in the disc cartridge of the invention, and Fig. 7 is a plan view of the disc cartridge of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a feeding and feeding perspective view showing an intermediate state of the disc ejecting operation in the disc cartridge of the invention, and FIG. 1... Disc cartridge, 2... Case,
4... Notch, 5... Groove, 8... Slide arm, 9... Suction spring, 10... Lock spring, 15... Opening, 21... Disk, 31... Arm drive means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Having an opening on one side for inserting and ejecting a disk,
a box-shaped case in which a disk can be stored; a plurality of pulling means for pulling the disk into the case; a holding means for holding the disk at a predetermined position within the case; and a disk ejecting means that moves to eject the disk out of the case, and the plurality of retracting means are configured such that the maximum retracting force generated by each of the plurality of retracting means acts on the disk at different positions in the retracting direction of the disk. A disc cartridge characterized by being arranged in a.